# Seasoning Humidor with Beads



## BriBoy01 (Jan 3, 2010)

I have searched around and cant find much information on seasoning a humidor with beads. I got a new desktop humidor and ordered some Heartfelt beads as well. I have read here that it is best to charge them passively (i.e sit them beside a water dish and let them absorb water). I have read a ton about how to season a humidor but nothing about season with beads. What I am currently trying is I have 2 shot glasses full of distilled water sitting at opposite corners and then I have the beads in a bowl in the middle. Will this work to season my humidor and charge my beads at the same time? I ordered 8oz of beads. I plan to use around 1 ounce in my desktop which should be plenty. Will it hurt charging the extra 7oz and just leaving them in the humidor? I have a second humidor that I am in the process of refinishing and it shouldn't be anymore than 2 weeks until it is complete and it will also use around another ounce. Also, has anyone pulled the foam out of the puck humidifiers on the lid and filled those with beads? Wow this post ended up to be more full of questions than I planned. Thanks for any help!


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## daviddunn (Sep 26, 2006)

I'm sure that will work at some point, but it's going to take a LONG time. I suggest you spray some distilled water on those beads, soaking them completely (100% clear), the wood in the humidor will soak the excess water, and you humidor will be seasoned at that point. If you want to speed things up as much as possible, spread the beads out to expose as many of them as you can. I also recommend you keep all 8oz in the humidor until you either need the room for cigars, or need the beads in another humidor, you can never have too many beads, but the opposite is certainly true.

Again, what you're doing will work if given enough time, but I'm not patient enough to do it this way, I like the fast track.


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## fybyoyo (May 7, 2009)

I just seasoned a 300 count with a bowl of distilled water and 1 lb of 65% beads with 12 oz being wet and 4 oz being dry. I let it set for 3-4 days. I pulled the bowl out and it has be at 65% ever since. I did wipe down the trays and dividers with distilled water. The advice here seems to be stay away from wiping down the main body of the humidor to prevent any chance of warping.


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## veeref (Sep 7, 2009)

BriBoy01 said:


> Also, has anyone pulled the foam out of the puck humidifiers on the lid and filled those with beads? Wow this post ended up to be more full of questions than I planned. Thanks for any help!


I've pulled the foam out of about 3 puck humidifiers and replaced them with beads. It works really well if you can re-open them easily to recharge them with distilled water and if the 'screen' is tight enough to prevent the beads from falling out. If you can't take them apart every time to re-fill, you can always just dip them in distilled water, but you take the chance of some of them splitting up and possibly falling out. I have filled some of them up completely until they were almost falling out, and others with just a layer or two deep of beads. Both were equally well.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

daviddunn said:


> I suggest you spray some distilled water on those beads, soaking them completely (100% clear)


This just makes me wanna smack you. :boxing:

j/k I know what you mean. But, don't EVER "soak" beads until they are 100% clear!

You're on the right track, but as our esteemed BOTL said, this track could take you into the next millennium. You're also correct in your assumption that beads are best charged passively... in a perfect world.

Here's what to do. Soak a new, clean sponge in distilled water and place it on a saucer in your humi for three days. This will impart plenty of moisture into the wood and likely spike the humidity to over 80%. Once there, place your uncharged beads in there for another three days, so that they can suck the excess moisture out of the air and wood. Now, you have a perfectly seasoned humi AND charged beads.

Oh yeah... You _can _replace foam with beads in those generic discs and bricks, but there are much easier and slicker ways of containing beads. I use 7day pill boxes with the lids cut off as well as churchill-sized coffins for my beads. The little aluminum cups that contain votive candles are also very handy.


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## daviddunn (Sep 26, 2006)

Herf N Turf said:


> This just makes me wanna smack you. :boxing:
> 
> j/k I know what you mean. But, don't EVER "soak" beads until they are 100% clear!
> 
> ...


I only said that because he has no use for unsaturated beads, because he doesn't need to regulate the humidity at this point, ideally the wood inside the humidor would absorb the excess moisture from the beads, and bring the entire environment to equilibrium with the beads.

This is what I do, and it has worked every time for me. I guess I just don't see the beads as fragile as some other people talk about on here, I've used mine for years, and I pour water directly on them every time.


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## bmatt1 (Dec 1, 2009)

ok, ive read several ways to season a humidor. whats the quickest way to season a humi without damaging it? obviously ive never done it before and i have a good looking 50 count cherrywood humi i dont want to ruin. ill send a couple of my favorite sticks to someone willing to help.


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## TunaGod06 (Jan 6, 2010)

bmatt1 said:


> ok, ive read several ways to season a humidor. whats the quickest way to season a humi without damaging it? obviously ive never done it before and i have a good looking 50 count cherrywood humi i dont want to ruin. ill send a couple of my favorite sticks to someone willing to help.


Follow Herf N Turf's sticky under Cigar Accessory Questions. There is no room for being in a hurry when seasoning a humidor.


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## BriBoy01 (Jan 3, 2010)

My humi is sitting rock solid at 70%! Ill start filling it tonight.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

TunaGod06 said:


> There is no room for being in a hurry when seasoning a humidor.


bmatt,
There's no better advice than this. It just takes time. In a humi that size, it shouldn't take more then a few days with a sponge soaked in DW. Just try to stay out of it for three days and check your hygro. If you need to drop it a skoshe from there, uncharged beads are the way to go.


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